I hate waste!

My Andy Rooney moment this Sunday.

I hate to throw away food; I hate it when people say "don't worry, it didn't cost much"; I just don't like it. I don't think too deeply about it, I just think it's a waste; it's a waste of money (no matter how cheap); it's a waste of my time buying or preparing it; it's a waste of the pickers. or packer, farmer or bakeries time to produce it. It's a waste of fresh air, water and sunlight; I don't like waste.

I hate it when I have to get a new computer, printer, digital camera, mobile phone because it is incompatible with current software, or a new battery is too expensive and a new phone is cheaper. I hate throwing these things away. I don't think too deeply about the energy required to make, distribute and package these things. I recycle what I can, but I don't immediately think of the landfill they will probably all end up in. My gut reaction is it's a waste to change something out every few years.

What is the problem with keeping a computer for 20 years? Why can't it be designed to cope with emerging technologies? Why can't I just change a chip on my phone? Why can't I send in my printer to be updated?

I hate seeing houses with all their lights on, cars idling while the driver is using the ATM, houses running air conditioning when it's 50 degrees out side - open a window, lazy! When energy was cheap I didn't like to see it be wasted and now I really don't understand.

I grew up using what I needed and looking after what I had. I had no idea that another English speaking country, that I though was very similar, wasn't the same as my country at all. We think how we think because of our environment, how we were brought up, what others did. We listen to teachers, parents and adults around us - that is our normal. I hope people can change, I hope brains can be rewired to think more about waste. I see a glimmer of hope in some people.

It doesn't have to be political, religious or patriotic, to me it is about looking after what you have. It's about caring about your possessions, your surroundings, your family and community. You don't have a right to squander what is there just because you can afford it. That's not the meaning of freedom!